Migration

Abstract

The rapid growth of cities is attributable, in part, to substantial migration to cities from non-urban areas. As the economic potential of cities has grown, more and more people are drawn to urban environments, thus contributing to growing city size and to dynamic urban environments. And yet migration to urban areas is associated with its own challenges. Immigrant populations often face exclusion and challenges integrating in urban environments. In cities where a large influx of immigrants has changed the environment in a short period of time, social cohesion has been challenged, with attendant social divides. Migration results in population displacement and gentrification, each bringing its own challenges to health. This chapter discusses the opportunities and challenges that migration presents to the health of urban residents.